Devoid
by CrumpetCapers
Summary: Meaning completely lacking, empty, or destitute, as in without emotion or feeling. But, was he? Grown in a lab as a government project, Logan is simply an android to be experimented on. Unable to withstand the abuse, he escapes and meets three other boys willing to save him, and show him the meaning of love. AU *Collab with swagUPwindowsDOWN*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone. This is a story collab with CrumpetCapers and swagUPwindowsDOWN. We have enjoyed working on this together, and we hope that you enjoy it as much as we have!**

**Neither one of us own Big Time Rush. As soon as one of us does, you are invited over for a party.**

**Project 33XY**

~_flashback-three years after conception~_

The bright halogen lamp illuminated the transparent incubator, and the tiny dark-haired boy's eyes popped open. He squinted, and attempted to shield himself from the intensity of the light with a small chubby hand.

"Well, I'll be…this is rather fascinating," the man in the white lab coat said, peering curiously inside.

"What is it, David?" another man in an identical lab coat asked, moving to stand beside him. "Whoa, if I didn't know better, I'd say he's suddenly sensitive to the light," he said.

Three more lab technicians made their way to the heated incubator, and leaned in to study the nude toddler. "It looks like his pupils are actually dilating and constricting," one man said with amazement.

The little boy furiously blinked dark eyes, and focused on the faces surrounding him from above. He seemed wary of their scrutiny for the first time since his development.

"Hello, thirty-er Logan," the female lab technician said, quickly correcting herself. She remembered that they had agreed to start calling him by a given name, and not a number so that he might familiarize himself with it early on. They had failed to keep androids A through K viable, so L became the next letter in line. Marina, the kindest member from the team of scientists, had chosen the name Logan. She explained that it would have been the one she chose, if she hadn't dedicated her life to science and had a son of her own.

"How are you today?" Linda asked, her eyes narrowing. His eyes traveled over her face suspiciously, and he shrank away. "You know me, I'm Linda, remember?"

She tugged the lapel of her white jacket forward for him to see the embroidered name. The android had been reading for over two years, and most likely upon first breath, if there had been a means to gauge such things. "It seems confused," she said irritably. "I said I'm Linda," she repeated more firmly, her brow furrowing with impatience.

He remembered her all right, and he associated the look she currently wore on her face, with pain. She was the one who had given him several injections, then drawn eight tubes of blood from him the day before. Since his conception in the lab three years prior, the team had experimented with injecting superior human DNA, as well as synthetic polymers, into him, with hopes that the small boy would grow to seem more human-like, and eventually blend into society. That would be when their true experimentation would take place.

In the meantime, the tiny android boy had undergone numerous and often painful procedures in the three years that he had been the center of Project 33XY, but without a voice to relay pain, or the ability to cry tears...he was nothing but a lab rat to the team of scientists. He was a lab rat devoid of emotion or feeling, as far as they were concerned.

~_flashback-eight years after conception~_

The little form inside the incubator trembled. Over the years, it had grown like a human would; much to the scientists' amazement, and they'd had to transfer it from a bigger incubator. Not as much progress had been made since the revelation of the android being sensitive to the light.

Long, excruciating procedures that never quite worked, put the little android in so much pain that he just wanted to express it in some way. He definitely could think. Not in a way like humans, with thoughts based on logic and instinct, but in a more informed and learnt way. At first he had no way of thinking at all. This had been one of the things that had developed. Ever since that day, they had stuck wires onto his forehead, monitoring his brain activity on large and confusing machines.

Other wires were attached to his body as well. Three placed over his chest, and one on both arms. Project 33XY had been grown in the lab, via the most technologically advanced equipment known to man. Previous projects had been tried and failed, multiple times. They didn't have much hope for this one, but when it survived more than a week, their spirits were heightened. It was at the one year mark that they began injecting it, and trying to make its features more human.

No one felt bad for what they were doing. It was their job. The US government was paying them a lot of money for making this project and making it work. Its purpose was top-secret, and only the most senior of scientists knew why they were making it in the first place. All that the others were certain of, is that it would change their world as they knew it.

Linda had aged quite a bit in those five years. She was no longer a thirty year-old woman with shining brown hair and no wrinkles. Now, she was exactly the opposite. Grey hairs appeared from under her shoulder length strands, and stress had crinkled her brow. She was the first to notice the strange behavior from the boy in the incubator.

"Michael, look." She called over her colleague, to show him what was happening. If she didn't know any better, she would say that Logan was trying to curl in on himself. He was wrapping his bony arms around his torso and his knees had been drawn up to his chest. His whole body was trembling and there were small, visible bumps on his arms.

"Goosebumps? It can't be." Michael gasped upon realizing what the bumps were.

"Do you think he's cold?" Linda asked rather stupidly, too much in awe to see how obvious it was. Her foolishness was not noticed by Michael however, who was in the same predicament.

Michael leant over the incubator and pressed a button to turn up the heat. They both watched as slowly, Logan unfurled himself, and settled back into a deep sleep.

Linda got out an official-looking, brown leather book. It was where they recorded everything that the android developed.

"Aged 8 years, 3 months and 9 days." She said as she wrote. "Developed feelings of temperature."

_~flashback-thirteen years after conception~_

The thirteen year-old no longer fit into any standard incubator. However, one had been specially constructed for the first successfully thriving teen android. He could sit up in it with back support, or lie down to sleep, but he couldn't get out without someone taking him out. It was kept locked at all times unless project 33XY, aka Logan, was being tested or experimented on.

Hence, the incubator became a safe haven of sorts for the young teen, and he began to grow fearful and apprehensive when Linda came to remove him. She complained to her assistants that he was growing too big for her to control on her own, even though the dark-haired boy was actually waif-like in stature. It was safe to say that he was about the size of an average ten-year old, although aged thirteen, but his steady growth was an incredible feat, nonetheless. It frustrated the team that he remained below standard weight, but it was difficult to supply him with the proper nutrients. They were not yet to able to decide the requirements for an organic android, or how to nourish him properly. They originally fed him intravenously, then progressed to tube feedings as his digestive system began to function.

In actuality, Logan often went to sleep hungry and gnawing on his fist for comfort, crying inwardly when his growing tummy rumbled throughout the night. He also began to fear the darkness of the lab, where at night his only source of light was an infrared heat lamp over his incubator that cast eerie shadows all around.

Logan would sit for hours in his little pod, wide-eyed and with his thin arms wrapped around his slender nude body, knees pulled close to his chest. He didn't understand the frightening feelings he was experiencing, he only knew that painful things took place in the lab when he awoke the next day, and that at night he was left all alone to mull them over in his brilliant mind.

He was certainly fearful of Linda, that was a given. She had dedicated her entire life to the project, and she let no one forget it. All members of the team were sworn to secrecy once coming on board, and their living years pledged to be spent on the android's existence and development, but none had given up as much as she believed she had.

Her fiancée had left her long ago, when he clearly understood that her loyalties lie with her career and not with him. She had never loved another since, and the long hours she toiled over trying to understand the metamorphosis of the android, had taken a toll on her looks and well-being. Her hair had almost fully grayed, and the frown lines had deepened.

She now considered the android to be more of a possession than a project, and when she was feeling especially volatile towards the fragile boy, she never hesitated to make him pay for it. This day was no exception. Linda had just finished explaining to David, that Logan had been difficult during his daily injections. He had writhed around on the table, and in her words, became hostile when she attempted to fill his bladder with water to test how long he could hold it, without expelling the fluid so that they might try letting him process fluids on his own.

They had documented the obvious changes over the years, such as sensitivity to light, and they were thrilled to find that over time, his black eyes had changed to a rich chocolate-brown, encompassing more and more of the irises. They also learned of his sensitivity to temperature, so upgraded his lighting to incorporate a heat lamp, and often allowed him to wear a thin gown which kept the chill off, yet was easily removable.

Even more exciting, was that just as any child would, Logan lost his two rows of perfect baby teeth, and they were gradually replaced by a second set of larger white ones. More amazing still, was that his heart was beating completely on its own, pumping the blood that he could now maintain, through the workings of his internal organs.

Logan curiously peeked through his glass at the two scientists, eyes fearful and bottom lip pulled snugly between his large white teeth, as he watched them discuss him from afar.

"Is that right?" David asked, with a thoughtful look on his features. "When did he first start reacting this way?"

"Since this week," she muttered. "I want tests run on it, to see if we can gauge brain activity when it is subjected to increasingly painful procedures. It seems to be showing the beginning signs of fear and pain. Lets' see what its limits are," she said coldly.

David nodded, but in his opinion, the signs of fear and pain had been clear for some time.

x-x

Strapped to a cold hard table, Logan was trembling from cold and fear. The many figures in white lab coats were milling about, preparing the various instruments and syringes. He turned dark eyes to Linda who was studying him closely at the moment, with a look of eagerness in her steely eyes. He began to shake even more violently.

Suddenly, a gloved hand covered his and he looked up to see Marina's blue eyes, steady on his over her surgical mask. He curled his ice-cold fingers around hers. She was the only one who had ever shown any compassion whatsoever, for the small android boy.

Linda glowered when she noted the connection of the hands. Marina refused to have eye-contact with her, only keeping his. Blinding lamps were shone down on his pale body, and the pain began. Cold steel probes were inserted, and needles pierced his quivering flesh.

He held Marina's gaze throughout the lengthy procedure, not knowing that his own chocolate-brown eyes were clearly registering pain. Her blue eyes became startled, and she tightened her grip on the thin fingers. "Stop!" she cried.

"What is it, Marina?" Michael asked, freezing with the next metal probe poised over the nude male.

"It-it's in pain," she said in a shaky voice.

"Oh, it is not!" Linda snapped, leaning over the android boy, and looking him over more thoroughly.

The pain on his face was undeniable, contorting his full mouth, and making his small features look pinched. Both Michael and David looked shocked. Linda looked panic-stricken. She only wanted to seek answers.

"We must continue! It's just a reflexive response, that's all!" she insisted. That is when the tones of the pulse and heart monitors began to invade the room with the quickening rates. All sets of eyes turned to stare at the equipment, but no one dared challenge her further.

They continued to insert the long probes as the boy began to writhe in his restraints, chest heaving, and face twisted with pain. No one doubted at that moment that what they were doing was nothing short of torture and that they should have stopped. Instead, the team proceeded to poke, prod and inject the android boy lying in his agony, and helplessly at their mercy.

Once finished, Linda took the official lab journal and wrote 'Aged thirteen years, six months and five days: Sensing fear and showing some signs of discomfort'. Later, in her own personal journal, she would also add, right beneath the prior notation, "Aged thirteen years, six months and five days: fully experiencing pain". With a smug look of satisfaction upon her etched face, she also added, 'Becoming more difficult to handle'.

_~flashback-sixteen years after conception~_

"And so we were all able to get there in time and I didn't get fired on my first day." Marina chuckled as she remembered her first ever job she had gotten. She had got fired just three weeks later, but she didn't bother telling him that. The story was meant to be a happy one, so she kept it that way.

Logan watched her curiously as she talked. She didn't know if he understood her at all, but her aim was simply to try and calm his nerves. Just half an hour ago, the scientists and her fellow colleagues had performed a full body examination. There were no words to describe the torture that happened in those minutes in which the procedure took place. She couldn't stay in the room after seeing the android rendered unconscious from all the pain he had to endure. It was too painful for _her_ to even watch it. She couldn't bear to think about the pain Logan had to go through.

So, that was why she was here, after hours, when only a few of the scientists were about the labs, working on other projects. She had opened a little slot in the incubator, though she wasn't meant to without a supervisor there and had pulled his pale hand out, holding it tightly. She often did this. She felt sorry for the small android that really, she saw as just a frightened little boy. The things they did to him were awful. And she didn't even know why they were doing them.

Marina's dream job would be a marine biologist. Like her name, she belonged near the sea. Anything from ocean plants to the animals that roamed the ocean floor, she loved and couldn't get enough of it. It had been her intention to get a job as close as possible to her aspiration, when she graduated from college. Unfortunately, Minnesota wasn't known for warm, sunny days that would make it perfect to go to the coast to investigate. She was aiming to someday, make the big move to Florida and live out her dream. But, hardly being long out of college herself, she didn't have the money to go. Her uncle was friends with Linda, the one in charge of everyone here and he had gotten her this job.

Initially, she had been working at the lab, just until she could pay her way to Florida. Just a few years and then she could be out of there and living the life she had always dreamed of. But then, she was asked to work on this new project. Project 33XY was top-secret and had been going for a several years already. She had been drafted as extra help, being deemed the only candidate responsible enough. She hadn't thought it would be something as big as it was. But, when she saw the small, pale android, that looked to be the size of an eight-year-old, even though it had been created ten years prior, she couldn't leave.

She was the only one who actually cared for Logan. David and Michael tried to help, but their hearts weren't struck with the same pain hers was, when she saw what was happening to the little robot. Over time, she developed an emotional attachment with Logan. He had been afraid of everyone, but the others hadn't spotted the fear for some time. She tried to show how she wasn't a threat, and that she would help him as best she could. Knowing she was the only person that Logan had to hold onto, her dream was put on hold for as long as Logan needed her.

She laughed some more as Logan poked his tongue out at her, something she had taught him a few months ago. Although the movement was still robotic, he got the idea of it. She returned the gesture and laughed some more. She was suddenly stopped when she heard some sort of sound. It sounded something in-between someone trying to clear their throat and a meeping sound. It took her a few minutes to register that the sound was coming from Logan. She looked at him questioningly, and when he pointed to her mouth she got what he was trying to do. Logan was trying to laugh. He had never actually said anything to anyone. Occasionally, he was able to make a whimpering sound or a low sound from his throat, but never had he spoken. The fact he was trying to laugh was progress.

She thought about writing it in the book, but then Linda would question her about why she had been there and no doubt put Logan through more painful procedures. She didn't want that, so she decided it would be their little secret. She was sympathetic as she saw Logan continue to attempt to laugh. He finally gave up and looked at her with a sad expression in his eyes. She saw the sheen in his eyes. He knew how to form the tears, but he wasn't able to release them yet.

"Shh." She whispered softly, squeezing the hand. She knew that he knew how different he was from normal people, and she also knew how much he hated this life. She brushed her hand through his silky-soft brown locks, and started singing. It was an Irish lullaby, her mother being of Irish decent, having sung it to her when she had nightmares as a child. She couldn't remember all the lyrics, but remembered enough for it to not matter. She stroked his hair until the dark orbs, became hooded by pale eyelids, and he was breathing deeply in sleep.

Marina didn't leave until very late that night, making sure that Logan wouldn't wake up scared and alone. She would have to think, but maybe there was something she could do to help the little android she had grown to love.

x-x

Sweet sixteen…at least for most boys his age. Logan was certainly sweet, docile and gentle, but it was far from a good year for the android boy. He looked about him, his face half-cast in the cold bluish light of the lab. His entire body ached from the experimentation he suffered at the hands of Linda and her team of scientists. Linda could almost taste the victory. Project 33XY had come a long way from the fragile form he'd been earlier.

His skin was now soft and supple, now a smooth ivory. His eyes were a vibrant cocoa brown, and always expressive. His hair grew thick and silky, now the deepest shade of brown. His body was still too thin, but it was taut with underlying muscle. He was notably a handsome replica of a teen-aged male. His intelligence was off the charts, and unbelievably, Logan had developed a sense of playfulness and humor.

Marina had played a game where she hid his snack and wanted him to guess where it was. Logan watched her carefully as she stood beside him, a small smile turning up her lips. "I don't know where it went, Logan. Hmmmm…do you know?"

His mouth turned up ever-so-slightly and he gave her an impish look. That is when she discovered the array of dimples in his cheeks. They complimented the deep cleft in his strong chin. He peeked around the incubator, lifting his sterile bedding. He searched around outside of the cube, the smile growing.

Suddenly he spun around and pointed to the hands clasped firmly behind her back. She laughed and showed him her empty hands. He wrinkled his smooth brow quizzically, then his face brightened. He pointed to the large bulging pocket hidden under her lab coat.

"You win, Logan!" she cried, pulling out the dried fruit for him. He smiled and happily took it from her, munching contentedly.

She watched him, her smile slowly fading as she thought about all that Logan had been through and all that he would. Since he had been able to eat solid foods in small amounts, Linda had decided to put him through yet another round of painful experimentation. She wanted to learn about every facet of his digestive processes. She couldn't bear to think about Logan having to go through the things that the leader had planned.

Now, as he sat enjoying her companionship as well as his dried apricots, he was just a regular boy. Marina would swear it in fact. Sure, he was gifted in many ways. He could calculate formulas that only a computer could otherwise solve. He could leap higher than an Olympic high jumper, and he could now heal when injured, as long as he was given the synthetic injections daily.

Since, learning of his ability to regenerate, Linda had put the poor young thing through unthinkable horrors. She had sliced at his flawless skin while he hissed in pain, only to document how long it took to heal. She would break his strong straight bones, to watch them rapidly heal back to their original state. All the while, Logan felt the pain that any sixteen year-old boy would, under the same circumstances.

Marina's heart broke a little more, each time she heard the grunts and whimpers coming from the boy, and saw the dazed look cross his eyes, first filled with hideous pain. She had trouble sleeping at night now, and all her waking hours she thought of the innocent android boy.

Linda was struggling to maintain the project that she had dedicated her life to. She feared that the boy, referred to as 'it', was about to lose his special abilities. He was almost becoming too human in her mind, and it frightened her. She was increasing the doses of synthetics, in hopes of halting the progress. That day, she planned to correct the problem once and for all.

She entered the lab, looking rather refreshed for her, and sporting a sinister smile. "Good morning, team!" she greeted.

The team murmured their return greetings and prepared themselves for her direction. Logan watched with fear in his eyes. He didn't like the demeanor she projected, and she was clearly setting up his bed of torture for something. The lab was bustling with activity, and Logan retreated into his corner, seeking his thumb for comfort. It was something he had occasionally done since conception, much to Linda's dismay.

She wasn't there to slap his hand away, so he sought its comfort. Marina finally glanced his way, and removed the thumb, perking up to hold her gaze. She did not smile, and Logan's stomach rolled. He was in trouble. She slowly made her way to him, reluctance in every step. She opened the lock, and door and gently held his hand.

It was trembling beneath her touch and his big brown orbs were questioning. "I'm so sorry, baby boy," she said affectionately. He swallowed, feeling a feeling he had never experienced before; utter panic and the desire to run and never stop, no matter who he had to hurt in the process.. His breathing escalated, and his heart pounded in his ears.

David and Michael came to carry the teen android to the table. He didn't bother to fight. He knew Linda would hurt him for it anyway, and he couldn't get far. He gave up looking at the locked doors of the high-security lab, and the few high windows, up high and out of his reach. Marina followed his train of thought, tuned in to the boy by now, and that is the moment she made her decision. She would find a way to set him free. Free from his pain and misery. She would find some way to help Logan escape the hell that he'd been trapped in for the past sixteen years. It was going to break her heart to lose him, but it would break her heart far worse to watch him be dismantled, piece by piece.

Logan found himself strapped nude to the cold hard table once more, the team of somber faces looking down on him. Linda stood at the foot of the table, a look of determination of her haggard face. "Let's kill him, and bring him back to life," she said calmly.

**Thanks for reading our first chapter of Devoid. Please drop us a review to let us know if this interested you enough to continue. We would really appreciate it!**

**xoxox**

**CrumpetCapers and swagUPwindowsDOWN**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello everyone! We apologize for the long delay. We've both been so busy, but we hope you will stick with us and give our story a chance. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews, alerts and favourites. We appreciate the feedback so much! ^.^**

**Project 33XY**

** x-x**

"I think it's waking up."

The voice was muffled, but he could still recognize it enough to moan in protest and try to shrink away from it. Linda had done this to him, and he certainly didn't want her to do any more. He felt a hand gently running through his hair, softly scraping across his engineered scalp. The hand didn't stay there for long, though.

"Marina! Stop it, it's not to be babied!" he heard Linda shout. He frowned slightly, not liking how one of his only three friends was being treated.

Footsteps moved away from him and from the clip-clops echoing around the room, he could tell they were Linda's red heels. A feeling that he had experienced before, but couldn't name, washed over him. He was extremely happy that the woman who only brought pain, was away from him.

Slowly, he forced his heavy eyelids to part themselves, gazing tiredly around the room. He was back in his incubator, but the top was open. He had the thought to escape, but after realizing he was cuffed to the bed, all hope left him.

Logan was now hooked up to many more machines; an order of Linda's to monitor how his body was recovering from its ordeal. Her efforts from the bizarre plan were in vain. Logan had woken up with the same qualities and abilities. And now that she had done such a harsh thing to him, she had left the android with even more new emotions.

He could remember it all. Like the bedtime stories Marina told him, only dark and evil.

_~Flashback~_

_Bright lights flashed down on him. Linda cackled, showing no remorse over what she was about to do. Tears streamed down Marina's face, unable to keep them at bay. Linda had been harsh before, but this was just cruel, inhumane…heartless. _

_Her colleagues shared the same thoughts. They were appalled at what she was making them do. Michael and David tried to stay strong, but recently, they had also developed some sort of connection with the small android. _

_They had even stayed late with Marina a few times, watching all the interaction between the two, like mother and son. They had seen the things Logan would do in private, a whole world apart from what he was like every day. He made more sounds, performed more gestures, and showed a greater understanding of…everything. There was no doubting that Marina had brought out the best in the android._

"_Now, what way shall we do this?" Linda asked aloud, pulling on some gloves. She looked around; waiting for a response from her colleagues, but no one spoke. No one wanted to._

"_Very well then," she spoke into the deafening silence. "__Asphyxiation."_

"_What?" David cried in absolute shock._

"_You can't be serious, Linda, of all the ways…" Michael spoke shakily, but was interrupted by his superior._

"_Shut up and get started. I think we should do it in two ways, to make sure the asphyxiation is a success." The woman was grinning evilly, wearing a countenance that could reduce any grown man to tears._

_She walked over to a drawer, pulling out a small, but thick plastic bag that had previously held some form of medication to test on Logan. The other people in the room couldn't stifle their gasps as they figured out what was about to happen._

_Logan looked into Marina's teary blue eyes, panic overtaking his whole body._

"_I'm so sorry Logan, I'm so sorry," Marina whispered, over and over, stroking his hair. She backed away, and Logan saw David and Michael come to comfort her, neither of them able to have a hand in this part of the process._

_That's when he felt it. A rough, plastic material placed deep into his mouth and tightened around his face. It was stuffed in until no more could fit. Logan tried to breath in, but started to choke on the bag inside his mouth, being unable to take it out due to his hands been locked down._

_His eyes widened, and he struggled futilely as two bony hands were wrapped tight around his neck, squeezing and squeezing. The little air he had been able to get through his blocked wind pipe, was suddenly cut off._

_Choking, gasping and gagging sounds echoed around the cold lab, Michael and David now sobbing along with Marina. The sounds grew fainter and fainter as Logan's life started to fade away._

_Everything was blurry now, the bright lights above molding into one, and giving him a headache. But that headache was the least of his worries as he took smaller and smaller breaths. He could make out Linda's form above him. He didn't want her image to be the last thing he saw before he…died._

_So, with all of his remaining strength, Logan turned his head towards the three that cared the most. The three that he felt were most like a family. He smiled weakly, his heartbeat slowing, and his eyes drooping._

_Not knowing whether he would come back, Logan died at the hands of Linda and no one else, right before their eyes._

x-x

Marina never wanted to see such a horrible thing ever again. Linda had technically murdered Logan. Her colleagues and friends, both men, had been reduced to tears as quickly as she was.

It was several days later, while Marina was grieving and finally realizing that Logan's android body may not recover, when they found the tiniest of pulses. Logan was put on a ventilator, and remained that way for many weeks after. His throat and airways had been badly damaged, but was healing on its own, much like Linda had expected.

It was when Logan's heartbeat became strong and his pulse no longer weak, that they took him off. And now, just two days later, Marina was watching her little Logan open his eyes again. After Linda left the room to get some supplies, Marina rushed back to his side, paging Michael and David as well.

"Hey Logie, do you remember me?" She had this sudden fear that he wouldn't remember anything of his previous life, and that he would no longer trust her. Relief washed over her when he nodded.

"I'm so sorry that happened, but I promise I'm going to get you out of here soon, okay? Just hold on. But Logan, you have to fight too. I can't do this on my own."

Suddenly, Linda bounded in, followed by a panicked David and Michael. Something was up. "We need to do it again. It didn't work as well as I'd hoped. Get some knives; we'll stab him until he bleeds out."

Logan's eyes widened at the prospect of being killed…_again_. He looked to Marina, who mouthed to him, two words: 'Do something.'

And that's when Logan did do something that none of them were expecting...

"N-no!" he cried, in a squeaky but clear voice, cowering from the sadist who was in the midst of rummaging through her supply of surgical knives.

"What?" she gasped, obviously not expecting the android to manage speech so soon.

She jerked her head away from her task, and Michael seized the opportunity to elbow the tray of knives. She dropped the chosen implements of torture to the tiled floor with a metallic clank. The sound echoed throughout the cavernous lab, and startled even her with its resonance.

"Damn!" she snapped irritably, kneeling to carefully retrieve them without hurting herself.

Marina quickly freed Logan from the cuffs. She tugged him from the incubator and ran with him to the heavy steel doors, grateful that she only wore sensible rubber-soled loafers to work. Her two male counterparts followed closely on her heels.

"These will need to be sterilized, Michael!" she roared from where she crouched on the floor, easily antagonized by the slightest detour from her plans as of late.

When there was no rush to appease her, or a response of any sort, she froze then slowly rose to her full height. She'd recovered from the distraction of her mishap and twirled around, sensing unusual activity on the other side of the lab.

Her android was not in its bed, and where the hell was that fool woman, she wondered. Her eyes narrowed when she suddenly realized that she was entirely alone, and she growled with fury.

"Grrrrr! Where the hell is everyone!" she raged, tossing the contaminated instruments back to the tray with a clatter.

She raced to the exit of the lab the best she could manage in her red heels, and felt her heart pounding in her own ears. There was no way that the thoughts running through her mind could be true, because it seemed as if her subordinates were freeing her project! Why else would they leave her in her time of need?

She saw that the warning light had been triggered overhead, and she knew that they had to have gone through the laser beams to escape. Only David could have silenced it. She boiled with fury, thinking of the betrayal. She wouldn't show any of them mercy when she stopped them from actually leaving the grounds. She'd find out what had happened when she reviewed the security tapes. Little did she know, that not only was the alarm system disengaged, but the cameras as well.

x-x

"It's okay, Logan," Marina whispered. "Just go with David, and run through the gates as fast as you can! You'll be okay. Go!" He didn't budge, and she realized that he didn't want to leave her behind.

"I love you too Logan, but you must go!" She whispered more desperately. She gave him a firm whack on his small round rump affectionately when he still hesitated and warily looked at her with disheartened chocolate-brown eyes. "Now! Go!"

Fearful that time was running out, David lifted the small boy with his strong arms, and ran out the door and into the darkness of the night. Michael and Marina knew what they had to do next. It wasn't something that either one of the scientists would have ever imagined themselves doing, but the alternative was so much deadlier. They had to convince Linda that Logan was able to escape entirely on his own.

They purposely left the outer door ajar and abruptly turned to face one another, each drawing a deep cleansing breath. When Michael failed to advance toward her, Marina took the necessary steps to close the gap between them. She placed his clammy hands around her own throat, and nodded her consent.

He squeezed the swan-like neck until light blue eyes bulged, and she grasped onto the fingers digging deeper, bruising the pale flesh. Next, the two stepped far apart from one another, took running leaps, and banged their foreheads together with such force that they each saw stars and screamed. The ugly purple marks left from the collision, immediately began to swell to the size of eggs. They slid down the white walls, landing in a heap on the hard cold tile. They moaned in unison, and that is how Linda found them.

"What's this!" she screeched, looking from the unlocked door to the clearly injured pair at her feet, her eyes wild as they darted about.

Marina panted and clutched at her swollen throat, indicating she'd been strangled, and was unable to speak just yet.

"Where is it!" Linda screamed louder.

Michael struggled to pull himself upright, and groaned. "He-he choked Marina, and bashed our heads together!" he cried.

"He's gone!" Marina rasped out. "Get him!"

Linda seethed. "When we find that hunk of junk, we'll make it pay! What has it done with David!" Her hands were tangling in her hair, and she looked close to a complete breakdown.

Michael lifted a trembling finger and pointed to the open door. "He's acquired s-super-strength, and he's no fool!" Michael said. "He's d-dangerous!"

"But-surely the electric fence will stop it-" Linda cut off her own words and slid to the floor beside the other two, her head heavy in her hands. "This project is my entire existence! How the hell did this happen!" she wailed.

x-x

David had bashed the electrical metal fencing with a heavy bracing stone, and Logan had readily helped him when asked. The gate finally swung free, and they raced through together.

"Go without me from here, Logan! I can't go any further! Run, and don't stop. You can do it!" David encouraged.

Logan nodded, but then saw David intentionally throw himself up against the twisted gate, screaming and shuddering as the current coursed through his body. He fell to the ground, violently twitching. Logan froze in his tracks, torn between obeying the orders he was given, and helping the injured man.

"No!" Logan yelled, painfully conflicted.

"I'm okay! Logan! Go!" David cried. "Please, be a good boy and run! Run!"

This time Logan obeyed, and blindly ran into the blackness of the vast space that stretched before him. Within moments, his eyes had adjusted, giving him keen eyesight, and a vivid view of his surroundings. He struggled with the desire to turn back around and return to the only home he'd ever known, but he knew it wasn't what the only ones who cared about him wanted. He shivered in the cool night air, clad only in a thin lab-gown and David's white lab coat.

David watched for a moment as the small boy turned around several more times to look at him, his eyes full of fear and apprehension. He shook his head adamantly at the boy, hoping to spur him on.

Finally, Logan ran and ran, as fast as his weakened body would allow. He had no concept of what was out there in the darkened world, and no idea that there were other people who might want to hurt him outside of the lab. All he knew was that he didn't ever want to go back to the place of pain.

x-x

Meanwhile, Linda had screamed out orders to rake over every inch of the grounds to see if the android was hiding. She refused to accept the word of her employees, despite the physical evidence left to back up their testimony. She could clearly see the broken gate from where she stood, and she watched in horror as David dragged himself back to them. He was disheveled and in need of medical care as much as the other two, but there was no way on earth her career and her entire life for that matter, could be over so suddenly. She wouldn't allow it.

She found it difficult to believe that the experiment that she'd worked so diligently on, and that had brought her to the cusp of a billion-dollar scientific miracle discovery, could be gone in a puff of smoke. Heads would roll if her suspicions were confirmed…but for now she had to no choice but to believe that the android had simply grown too strong, too soon.

She should have confined him to within an inch of life and restrained him at all times, she thought bitterly, knowing full well that he had been cuffed and contained. When she did get her hands on him once more, he would feel her wrath like never before. She would watch him squirm under the bright lights, as she killed him a hundred different ways.

After exhausting all possible hiding places within the compound and all potential scenarios, as to how the project might have escaped, she had no choice but to accept her fate. The experiment had been destroyed, and she was utterly ruined.

The room swayed around her, and a blinding pain jolted through her as it pounded into her skull. She desperately dug through the sea of medications in a nearby cabinet, until she located the painkillers that would bring her sweet relief. Popping two into her mouth and swallowing them dry, she turned steely eyes on her silent brood.

"He's gone," she hissed.

x-x

Logan didn't know how long he'd been running. He only knew that he was terrified of being caught, and that every muscle in his body was on fire. His bare feet stung where the rough concrete had abraded the soles of them. He looked over his shoulder one last time as he slowed to see if anyone was pursuing him. He saw nothing but blackness and a halo of light emanating from the laboratories in the far distance.

He stood perfectly still to gauge how far he'd come. To his surprise, he found his eyes measuring the span between the light and his present location. Three point six miles, his brain told him. It didn't mean anything to him really, but the readily available knowledge was undeniable.

His chest and abdomen heaved, and the adrenalin was coursing through his veins. He looked up at the clear night sky, fascinated by the many pinpoints of light, and the full white moon. He reluctantly resumed his journey, careful to keep close to the side of the road so that he might enter the dense woods if necessary.

For now, they terrified him. He had learned first-hand what terror was during his captivity. Thinking of the only home he'd ever known made his stomach tighten in a painful way, and gave him an uncomfortable sense of longing. He wasn't longing to be back there, but he longed for familiarity, regardless of how brutal his experiences had been. He longed for the warm look in Marina's kind blue eyes, and for the false security of his incubator.

His thin body trembled uncontrollably as his slowed pace allowed him to gather his thoughts. An owl hooted from a tall tree overhead, and Logan jumped. He swallowed back a shriek of fear. Wrapping the white lab coat tighter around his body, he trudged on. His ears pricked as he heard a high-pitched sound coming from across the horizon. He believed it sounded a lot like the alarm that occasionally sounded when there had been a security breach at the lab.

Perhaps they were coming for him and they would…do to him what they had done before. He would succumb to that dark place that he couldn't wake from. The place where he couldn't breathe or see, or even move his limbs. Logan heard his new-found voice in his ears, full of panic as he fled once more, this time between the dense trees and away from the road he'd been traveling.

He crouched down behind a tree just as two intense beams of light neared from the direction of his former home. He bit his lower lip, which wobbled uncontrollably and tried his best to steady his shaking hands on the trunk of the tree. She would hurt him badly when she found him. He couldn't bear to think of the things she would do to him. The large Humvee passed slowly by, shining a large beacon of light into the shadows of the woods.

The voice that he'd wanted so badly to learn to use to express his emotions, wound up betraying him now. A series of frightened whimpers escaped his parched throat, and he placed the palm of his hand over his mouth to silence himself. He could swear that he could hear the breath of a human from the open window of that vehicle as it inched along.

When he could no longer see or hear it, he slid down on is haunches, his eyes drooping with fatigue and stress. His belly rumbled with hunger, and he felt an unfamiliar dampness under his arms. He reached two fingers beneath an arm curiously, pulling back wet fingertips that shone under the moonlight. His smooth brow furrowed with grooves, and he abruptly wiped the mysterious fluid off on his sleeve.

He didn't like something leaking from him that he couldn't understand. Was he broken from the jaunt he'd endured, he wondered. He blinked and found himself focusing on something two point three feet from where he stood. It blinked back at him. Logan's breath caught in his throat as he studied the strange creature. It was lean like him, but with pointed ears atop its head. It had a long appendage, different from any he'd ever seen on the living beings at his home.

It approached him warily, dipping its head slightly and tucking the odd appendage between its legs as it limped closer. Logan whimpered involuntarily and backed away. It whimpered back, yet stepped closer still.

"Noooo," Logan pleaded, instantly afraid. He closed his eyes and braced for the hurt.

Instead, he felt a warm rough tongue against his bare calf, gently licking a small trail. Logan opened one eye and studied the mysterious intruder. He looked down at the place where it had washed, feeling a slight sting where a fine red line ran. It was where a tree branch had cut his skin. What he didn't know to be a fox, nudged its long narrow snout against his thigh comfortingly. It's own injured paw remained delicately poised above the ground.

"H-Hi," Logan said shakily, mimicking the greetings he'd enjoyed each morning, from the trio at the lab. He reached a trembling hand gingerly to stroke the furry head. It nuzzled into his palm and patiently sat at his feet.

Logan lowered himself to sit beside it and leaned into the gentle beast, seeking comfort in its warmth. He hadn't realized how cold he was until this point, and his skin developed raised bumps. He felt them with his fingertips, remembering how he'd experienced them when he'd been removed from his warm incubator for too long. It reminded him of all the times he'd been stripped and strapped to the cold stainless-steel table whenever he was about to be….

He didn't want to remember that feeling now. He snuggled closer to the vigilant fox, and before he knew it, he fell into a deep slumber with his companion. Curled up together on the hard dirt ground, the two slept while other nocturnal animals made their way around them. It wasn't a peaceful sleep by any means, but it was a necessary one for the exhausted android boy.

Deep in the recesses of his brilliant mind, Logan envisioned a new destination laid before him. It was a place of good feelings that didn't hurt his soul, and comfort for his growing body, where things weren't done to him that made him ache in agony. It was a good place…but in his fitful dreams, or pictures in his head, as he thought of them, the journey to the happy place was always just out of reach.

x-x

The team of scientists employed by ATP Laboratories, even those not directly working under Linda, were present in the conference room. A majority of the group consisted of those that Linda would answer to as a member of the corporation. The elderly man who stood before the crowd, cleared his throat.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. Miss Linda Eckert will now address the room," he said gravely. The silence hung thick and heavy.

Linda pulled herself up from her chair, and slowly made her way to take her place before the group. Her face was drawn and grayish, her typically neatly groomed hair, askew. She placed a pair of reading glasses low on the bridge of her nose, and gripped the edges of the podium to steady herself, her knuckles white. She drew in a deep shaky breath, then stared down at a paper she had laid out before her. She glanced up briefly before speaking in a tight strained tone.

"As you all know, I am Linda Eckert. I have overseen the highly classified project 33XY for the last twenty years, either planning, researching, or carrying out my life's work." Her voice had become even more forced and shrill as she continued.

"Last night…." She paused to cough, her face taking on a pained expression. She stared at the crowd once more. "Last night, my laboratory experienced a security breach. The first in twenty damn years!" she cried passionately, shuddering now. "Project 33XY overtook my subordinates as well as myself, with unprecedented strength...fled the building and-"

She swayed, and a few of the spectators murmured. She raised an angry palm to hush them. "Project 33XY is finished! I am finished!" she screeched. She staggered back a step, then collapsed to the floor with a resounding thud while the room responded with a collective gasp.

x-x

_~101 Elm Tree Drive, Shakopee, Minnesota. 24 hours after Logan's escape~ _

"Thank you Tim, for that weather report. I'm sure you can see it's going to be very cold for the next few days, so make sure you wrap up warm…"

A grunt was heard above the evening news report. "It's always cold around here! Those people don't know anything!"

"James just because you didn't get your morning coffee, doesn't mean that you have to take it out on the news reporters. You've been cranky all day," a tall blonde boy told his naturally tanned, good- looking best friend. The latter huffed and glared at another boy present in the room.

"Well I wouldn't be like this if Carlos hadn't of broken the coffee maker!"

"Hey! It wasn't my fault it said it could heat up anything!" the helmet wearing one defended, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Liquid. It said it could heat up any liquid. Not corndogs!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that?"

"C'mon, anyone could have known that!"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Guys! Stop it! Carlos apologize to James and go make him some ordinary coffee from the jar."

"At this time of night? Mama Knight will kill us if we get too hyper!" Kendall narrowed his eyes and looked at him sternly. "Oh, all right." Carlos mumbled an apology, which James begrudgingly accepted and went to make the brown, energy-giving substance.

"Now will you please stop fighting, I want to see who's in the first playoff game." Kendall asked them once they had both settled down on the couch again. James shrugged, happier now that he could actually function properly. Carlos never held grudges, so he wasn't affected in any way possible.

"And lastly, a nationwide search has been started for a lab project that has seemingly escaped from ATP laboratories yesterday. Project 33XY is an extremely classified, high-tech government project that scientists have been working on for the past 20 years. A successful experiment meant that, 16 years ago, an android was formed from three DNA cells and robotic technology."

The boys had all heard of project 33XY. It had been going on long before they were even born and they knew that it was very important. The development of the project had sometimes appeared on the news. It was always explained in vague terms, to try and make sure that the public remained oblivious to what the project actually was.

"The government and the scientists have decided to make the details of the project known to the citizens of America so that they can track down project 33XY and safely capture it so that it can be returned to the lab."

"Capture it? Is it really that dangerous?" James asked aloud. No one answered him; no one knew the answer anyway.

"Project 33XY is an android developed by the ATP scientists for the government. The use however, will remain unknown. The android has special abilities that surpass any normal human being and could be dangerous to the people of America. The android has short, dark brown hair with dark brown eyes. It possesses a pale complexion and is about the height of a small 14 year-old even though it has been living for sixteen years. When it escaped, it was wearing a white hospital style gown with a white lab coat over it."

This must have been serious if they were going into so much detail. Could the android really be that dangerous?

"If you happen to see the android or come across it, do not approach or make contact with it. You will be harmed. Instead call your local authorities immediately and they will safely take it away and make sure it gets back to the laboratory. This android is dangerous and unpredictable, meant for government purposes. Please abide by the government's advice and do as they say. A fifty-thousand dollar reward will be issued for those who find the android."

With that said, the news program ended and the screen grew brighter with that new cereal commercial that seemed to be everywhere. "I wanna' try that new cereal!" Carlos suddenly boomed, forgetting all about the news program.

"I want that fifty-thousand dollars!" James piped in.

"Seriously James, what are the odds that we would find the android?" Kendall asked.

James shrugged. "I don't know, but we have as good a chance as anyone, don't we?"

"Yeah, and then I could buy all the Chocolate Crunch-A-Doodles I want!" Carlos said happily.

Kendall shook is head. "Is that really important now, when there is a potential killer android on the loose?"

"I didn't think about that," Carlos said pensively, scratching his chin. "But, cool! A real android!" Carlos chirped, latching on to James' bicep.

"Ouch,!" James complained.

He couldn't help but smile at his smaller friend, but his eyes couldn't hide the concern e still felt. He wasn't sure he liked the possibility of stumbling upon an android while alone, and decided right there that he wasn't going out without one of the other guys..._ever_.

Kendall was just about to voice his own opinion on the subject, when his head snapped toward the door of the basement where footsteps were nearing. He immediately leaned into the other two who already had their legs intertwined, and held his breath.

Mrs. Knight popped her head around the doorway, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her boys safe on the sofa. "Oh, thank goodness Katie, they're home!"

Katie ducked under her arm and broke into a gap-toothed grin. "Did you hear!" she asked excitedly.

"Mmm-hmm," the boys all murmured with big eyes, trying their best to compose themselves and appear nonchalant.

"I don't want you boys leaving this house without an adult," Jennifer continued. She removed her phone from her handbag. "I'm calling your parents right away to see if they'll agree to a sleep-over. I don't want to go out until morning. Hopefully, that monster will be caught by then!"

"Do you really think it's a monster?" Katie said in a squeaky voice, a little less excited and a lot more nervous.

Her mother forced a laugh, quickly covering for the poor choice of words. She turned back to the boys and smiled stiffly. "Could I have three strong young men help me unload the groceries, after I make my calls?"

They nodded but exchanged looks. They waited as she dialed the Garcia's residence first. "Hello?"

"Sylvia, it's Jen. Have you heard?"

"Jen! Yes, I just heard! Antonio said to leave the boys with you until he gets off his shift, if that's all right with you? He doesn't want me driving until it's found!"

"I was about to suggest the same thing. Have you talked to Brooke yet?"

"Not yet. Isn't it unbelievable? It's like a sci-fi movie!"

"That it is! Look, I'll give her a call and you can let me know when Antonio is home."

"Will do. Be careful, Jen."

"I will. You too."

"Mom, isn't the ice cream going to melt out there in the trunk?" Katie asked impatiently.

"Ice cream?" Carlos asked, already focused on the frozen treat and not on the situation at hand.

"Yes sweetie, just a moment," she said, stroking her daughter's silky tresses. "Brooke, Jen here. Have you listened to the news-"

"Are the boys with you?" she interrupted.

"Yes, and Sylvia and I think it would be a good idea if the boys just stay here tonight until…you know," she said, smiling at the faces watching her intently, with another false smile plastered upon her face.

"I agree. So that's that. You can pick James up in the morning."

Upon disconnecting, she made her way up the stairs with all four behind her. They each grabbed an armload of grocery bags from the back of the van.

James looked up at the full white moon shining brightly in the evening sky and shivered without his jacket. They all followed his gaze, appreciating the same full moon Logan was. Kendall wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Chilly, isn't it?" he said.

"Yeah," James said, hoping the apprehension he was feeling didn't show on is face. He liked adventure and robots as much as the other boys, but he wasn't sure how he felt about one being so close to home. Maybe the coffee was just making him jittery, he thought to himself.

"I wanna' see this thing so bad! Do you think it looks like a transformer!" Carlos cried enthusiastically, accidentally squishing the soft bread he was clutching in his excitement.

"Let's stay up and watch sci-fi movies all night!" Kendall suggested.

Jennifer cleared her throat, and Kendall grinned sheepishly as Katie giggled. "Or not!" his sister announced cheerfully.

"At least until midnight?" Kendall pleaded, making his mother smile in spite of the rules she'd firmly laid down.

"It is an unusual circumstance we have here. I'll tell you what, you boys agree to let Katie join you, and I'll heat up a couple of pizzas and round up some snacks for your movie marathon."

Kendall rolled his eyes at his smug little sister and sighed. "Oh all right, she can join us," he said, conceding to the two of them.

"Race you!" Carlos called to Katie happily. The two of them were off before Mrs. Knight could even remind them not to drop the groceries in the process.

x-x

Logan remembered nothing when he first opened his eyes to the light of the sky. It was a light that he'd vaguely seen shining through the high windows of the lab, but little had he'd known that it could bathe all in its path with its glow. He looked around curiously at his surroundings, recalling how he'd literally passed out while it was still dark. The small furry friend he'd made the night before, was nowhere to be seen.

His entire body felt stiff when he first pulled himself to his feet, but he recovered quickly and was soon stretching as he had never stretched before. Used to the confines of his tight incubator, he had missed out on how enjoyable a good stretch could feel to a growing boy. He scanned the area with his better than perfect vision, and saw that there were no humans in sight.

Oblivious to the circumstances of climate, or how it ultimately affected him, he still wisely continued on his way. He had no real plan, but he knew enough to acknowledge that he needed to get as far away from the place he'd been kept, before the sky turned dark once more. Feeling alone and vulnerable, he searched for his friend, the fox. A rustle of branches startled him, his acute hearing picking up even the most subtle sound. He looked around cautiously, hoping for the little red fox, but saw nothing. He heard another rustle, and the sound seemed to be taunting him, coming from various directions now. He pivoted on one bare foot, and winced when a sharp stone dug into his tender flesh. Then, he found the source of the noise, and his eyes grew wide...


End file.
